1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mute for a wind instrument such as a brass instrument, in particular to a mute adapted to a horn-shaped sounder of a brass instrument such as a bell of a trumpet.
The present application claims priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-175059, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various technologies for synthesizing musical tones simulating tone-generation mechanisms of acoustic musical instruments have been developed and disclosed in various documents. PLT 1 discloses a musical tone synthesizing apparatus simulating a tone-generation mechanism of a wind instrument including a mouthpiece and a resonating pipe with an excitation part a junction, and waveguides. PLT 2 discloses a wind type tone synthesizer including the same technology as PLT 1 relating to a taper theorem simulating resonating property of a wind instrument with a branch pipe using straight pipes. Specifically; PLT 1 and PLT 2 disclose the technology for approximately reproducing resonating property of a tapered pipe having a conical surface with two types of straight pipes.
FIG. 19 shows the structure of a wind instrument 1000A with a tapered pipe 450. FIG. 20 shows the structure of a wind instrument 1000B with straight pipes 410, 420 simulating resonating property of the tapered pipe 450 shown in FIG. 19. Specifically, the wind instrument 1000A includes a mouthpiece 500A and a pipe structure 400A with the tapered pipe 400A. The wind instrument 1000B includes a mouthpiece 500B and a pipe structure 400B branching into the straight pipes 410, 420. Herein, the pipe structure 400B is able to approximately reproduce resonating property of the tapered pipe 450 when the straight pipes 410, 420 are designed with optimum lengths and diameters as disclosed in PLT 1.
Additionally, various mating technologies applied to wind instruments or brass instruments have been developed and disclosed in various documents. PLT 3 discloses a ring mute which, is made of sound absorbent material and attached onto the rim of the bell of a brass instrument instead of inside the bell of the brass instrument. PLT 4 discloses a mute, having a resonating dish with an opening and a slit, which is attached to the outside of the bell of a horn-type instrument by use of adjustable fitting means. PLT 5 discloses an acoustic practice mute for a brass instrument. PLT 6 discloses a sound reflector device which reflects sound rearwardly from the belt of a brass instrument towards the ears of a player. PLT 7 discloses a conical-shaped mute including a plurality of ribs and a plurality of plugs. PLT 8 and PLT 9 disclose a mute adapted to a brass instrument with an inner surface which is shaped in consideration of nodes of standing waves of harmonic tones. PLT 10 discloses a ventilated mute with an electrically-driven ventilation system which is attached to the bell of a wind instrument. PLT 11 discloses a ring mute, comprised of a sound absorbent foam urethane ring, which is attached to the rim of the bell of a brass instrument PLT 12 discloses a mate for a brass instrument which includes a breath induction pipe and a breath exhaust pipe so as to improve blowing property of a brass instrument with muted sound.
To reduce sound volume, a player needs to play a wind instrument or a brass instrument equipped with a mute which is inserted into a bell pipe. When a player plays a brass instrument equipped with a conventionally-known mute, it is possible to reduce sound volume owing to the mute, however, which may significantly change the resonating property of a brass instrument so as to unexpectedly change pitches and sound quality.
Generally speaking, pitches and sound quality of brass instruments highly depend on resonating property of brass instruments. Compared to resonating property of a brass instrument not equipped with a mute, resonating property of a brass instrument equipped with a mute may inevitably include additional resonating peaks in the low register, which in turn pushes original resonating peaks in the low register towards the high register, thus increasing resonating frequencies. That is, a mute attached to a brass instrument may increase pitches in the low register. Although, conventionally-known mutes are able to reduce sound volume, they may unexpectedly change pitches and sound quality compared with original pitches and sound quality produced with wind instruments not equipped with mutes. PLT 3 to PLT 11 disclose solutions to prevent unwanted changes of pitches and sound quality due to mutes attached to wind instruments or brass instruments, but they do not satisfy musicians' needs of precisely reproducing sound quality regardless of the presence or absence of mutes.